More than 1 in 4 Americans feel they need to make $150,000 or more to live comfortably

Financial security isn’t just a luxury — it should be within reach for all Americans. Yet, with high prices, ongoing tariffs, and economic uncertainty stirring fresh recession worries, the majority of U.S. adults (77%) report they don’t feel fully financially secure, according to Bankrate’s latest Financial Freedom Survey. Alarmingly, even as inflation has cooled since its 2022 peak, the share of Americans lacking financial security has continued to rise — from 72% in 2023 to 75% in 2024, and now 77% in 2025.

A major factor behind this unease is the toll inflation has taken on purchasing power over the past three years. Households are finding it more difficult to maintain their standard of living on stagnant wages. For instance, a $100,000 income in January 2020 would need to be roughly $124,353 in April 2025 to offer the same buying power, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s like losing over $24,000 in effective salary if your paycheck hasn’t grown since then.

“Because of inflation, many people find themselves needing to spend more and more each year,” says Wookjae Heo, assistant professor of financial counseling and planning at Purdue University. “But income hasn’t kept pace. Most people’s salaries haven’t really changed.”

What would help? A significant pay raise. About 1 in 4 Americans (26%) say they would need to earn $150,000 or more annually to feel financially secure — nearly double the average salary. In 2023, the typical full-time U.S. worker earned $81,515, according to BLS data.

But landing a higher-paying job may not be easy. Amid economic uncertainty and hiring slowdowns, especially in white-collar fields and government sectors, opportunities to job-hop into bigger paychecks are increasingly limited.


Bankrate’s 2025 Financial Freedom Survey highlights several key findings:

  • 77% of Americans say they are not completely financially secure, up from 75% last year and 72% the year before.
  • 26% say they’d need at least $150,000 a year to feel comfortable, far above the national average income.
  • Only 29% believe their version of the “American Dream” is attainable in today’s economy.

Since 1976, Bankrate has been a leading source for personal finance trends and data, tracking interest rates and consumer sentiment nationwide.


Who feels the most financially insecure?

While 23% of Americans say they are completely financially secure, the majority fall into two categories:

  • 45% believe they aren’t financially secure now, but think they could be in the future.
  • 32% don’t believe they’ll ever be financially secure — up from 26% in 2023 and 30% in 2024.
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